Target.



E. E. PETERSEN.

v I TARGET.

.APPLICATION FILED NOV. 25,191?

1,293,903. Patented Feb.11,1919.

FIE]

INVEN TUH E. E PETEPEEN EVALD E. PETERSEN, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

TARGET.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Feb. 11, 1919.

Application filed November 26, 1917. Serial No. 203,945.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EVALD E. PETERSEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Fran- 5 cisco and Stateof California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Targets, ofwhich the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to practice targets for use in shootinggalleries or the like, and the object of the invention is to provide atarget of this character which will excite interest, and stimulate thedesire to practice shooting, by the change in form which the targetundergoes if correctly hit. In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is asectional view of a tank showing in front view a target before it ishit; Fig. 2 is a similar view of the same afiter it has been accuratelyhit; Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the operating portion ofthe target; Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view. Referring to the drawing,1 indicates a tank for containing water. Supported in said tank, belowthe water line therein, are i parallel horizontal angle bars 2. Pivotedby means of a pivot pin 3 extending through said bars 3 are ears 4, 6,projecting from the lower adjacent corners of metal plates 7 8. To thebacks of said plates are secured,

l near upwardly extending adjacent edges, metal plates 9, 10, whichextend upwardly above the upper horizontal edges of said plates 7, 8,said plates 7, 8, 9, 10, being of such form that, when said edges arebrought close together, said plates have the same outline as that of asubmarine vessel, the upwardly extending portion of the plates 9, 10,then assuming the form of the observation deck of the submarine. Anupward extension 11 resembling a periscope is also attached to the plate9. There are also attached to said plates 7, 8, and extend upwardlytherefrom, metallic representations 1d of guns, such as are used on thedecks of submarines. There also extends from the plate 8 therepresentation of a flag staff and flag.

In the normal position of said plates 7, 8, when their upwardlyextending adjacent edges are close together, as shown in Fig. 1, saidplates are held in such position by means of a latch 12 carried by theplate 8, which engages a keeper 13 secured to, and carried by, the plate7 The keeper 13 is an angular piece of metal of which one part isriveted to the plate 7, and the other part extends rearwardly at rightangles thereto, its upper rearwardly extending edge 14 be ing adaptedtobe engaged by the latch 12. The latch 12 is pivoted, as shown at 16, ona member of a vertically extending angle iron 17, the other member ofwhich is riveted, as shown at 15, to the central member of a channeliron 18, a flange of which is riveted, as shown at 19, to the plate 10.Said latch 12 is normally pressed downward by means of a spring 21, 'ofwhich the free end presses against the top of the latch, and the otherend is secured to a post 22 rearwardly extending from the flange 17,while the middle portion of said spring bears against the under side ofa screw 23 screwed into the other flange of the channel iron 18. Screws24 connect said outer flange with a plate 30 between which plate andflange the latch 12 swings.

The part of the target to be aimed at by the marksman is the head 26 ofa bolt 25 which extends through the center of a white metal disk 27 intwo sections, supported respectively by the plates 7 and 9 on one sideand 8 and 10 on the other side. In order, however, that said twosections should each lie in the same vertical plane while the lowerportions are secured direct to plates 7 and 8, their upper portions aresecured to the spacing devices 28, which in turn are secured to theplates 9 and 10, and space the upper portions of the disk so that theywill lie in the same vertical plane with the lower portions. A spring 29coiled around the bolt 25 and compressed between the head 26 of the boltand the plate 10 normally projects said head outward from the plate.Said head, being in the center of a white circle presents a conspicuousobject at which to aim the bullet. If the bullet strikes the head of thebolt, it drives it backward and thereby raises the latch 12, since therear end of the bolt is formed with an oblique or sloping surface 32which engages the under side of said latch, so that as the bolt ispressed rearwardly, the latch is raised against the pressure of thespring 22. When the latch is raised from off the edge of the keeper, thetwo plates 7 and 8 immediately fall outward from their common pivot 3,so that the tar get presents the appearance of a submarine vessel brokenin tWo through the observation deck.

Flat bars 33, 34, are secured to the rear surfaces of the plates 7, 8,and have upper and lower rearwardly extending arms-36, 37, of which theupper arms 36 arrest the downward movement of the plates by impingingupon the rear bar 2, while the lower arms 37 arrest their upwardmovement in like manner.

To restore the plates to their original positions, for another shot,there is secured to the back of each plate a flat bar or strip 38, whichextends first downwardly below the lower edge of the plate and then in anearly horizontal direction toward and below the other plate sothat saidbars cross each other. When the two parts of the tar- I get fallasunder, as has been previously described, the free ends of these bars38 rise, each being on the opposite side of the pivot 3 to the plate towhich it is attached. Therefore these bars may be used to restore theplates to their original positions by lowering the free ends of thebars. This may be done by means of wire cords 39 attached to the freeends of the bars and passing downward and around pulleys l1 in the tankand then upward and out, so that by drawing upon said chain the plates7, '8, may be raised on their pivot 8.

By reason of the universal detestation 7 caused by the operations of theGerman submarines, a target of this character may be used to greatadvantage to encourage the practice of marksmanship.

' I claim:

I 1. A' target comprisingseparable parts, means for holding said partstogether to make a complete representation of an object,

7 a device to be aimed at, and means whereby when said device is hit bya bullet said separable parts are separated from each other.

2; A target in the form of a submarine vessel, comprising separateparts, depending means for holding said parts together to make acomplete representation of a submarine, a device to be aimed at, andmeans whereby, when said device is hit by abullet, said separable partsare separated from co ies: um pace-ma bi: obtained mi each other so thatthe'target represents a submarine vessel in two parts.

3. A. target consisting of the representation of a submarine vessel andhaving parts pivoted together, a movable latch on one part and a keeperon the other part for bold ing said'part's together, said parts when so'held together forming the representation of a complete submarine vessel,a bolt provided with means for withdrawing said latch from its keeper,said parts being permitted to fall of a complete submarine vessel, abolt provided with means for withdrawing said latch from its'keeper,said partsbeing permitted to fall apart on their pivot when said latchis so withdrawn, and downwardly extending devices for restoring saidparts to their initial positions.

5. A target consisting of the representation of a'submarine vessel andhaving parts pivoted together, a movable latch on one part and a'keeperon the other part iforholdin'g said parts together, said parts when soheld together forming the representation of a complete submarine vessel,a bolt provided with means for withdrawing said latch from its keeper,said parts being permitted. to fall 'apart on their pivot when said;latch is withdrawn, and an arm rigidly secured to each partand'extending first downwardly and then transversely beneath the pivotand the other part, for restoring said parts to their originalpositions. 7 p 7 'EvALD' E5 PETERSEN.

five cents each, by addre s sing-the Gommissioncf of Patents,washingtomn'c, H i 3 l

